Hamilton County reinstates countywide burn ban and ratifies generator maintenance contract

Hamilton County Commissioners voted on Feb. 24, 2026 to reinstate a countywide burn ban after discussing dry conditions and abundant tinder across the county.

Earlier the court ratified an order terminating a previous burn ban for Precincts One and Three (recorded as approved) and then acted to impose a countywide ban. Commissioner Dickie Clary moved to impose the countywide ban and Commissioner Keith Curry seconded; the transcript records the motion as approved with four commissioners voting in favor and Judge James Yates abstaining.

The court also ratified Hunter Generator Service, LLC to perform preventative maintenance on generators at the Hico and Hamilton tower sites and on a Generac unit for an annual cost of $2,651.00. The contractor’s proposed monitoring system was quoted at $6,200.00 with a $39 monthly monitoring fee. Commissioner Clary moved to ratify the maintenance contract; Commissioner Johnny Wagner seconded and the record shows the motion approved with four commissioners voting in favor and Judge Yates abstaining.

Commissioner Clary raised concerns about a proposed HB300 rural ambulance service grant contract, noting the draft appears to lack a termination clause, contains apparent missing pages and typos, and does not explicitly carve out costs for a potential single audit. The court did not finalize action on the HB300 contract and indicated further review is needed.

The court took no public comments at the meeting before adjourning at 11:03 a.m.